September 6, 2022 – A statewide coalition of public and private partner organizations and institutions, led by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBiotech), has received a Phase 2 award totaling nearly $25 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Build Back Better Regional Challenge.
The NCBiotech-led consortium is one of only 21 projects chosen from 60 applicants nationwide. The Phase 2 award will further strengthen North Carolina’s life sciences manufacturing cluster by expanding, connecting, and promoting training and career opportunities to underserved and distressed communities, including historically excluded populations.
The consortium submitted a Phase 2 proposal in March 2022 called “Accelerate NC – Life Sciences Manufacturing.” Coalition members and partners proposed working together on complementary projects for greater economic impact by expanding training and job opportunities in life sciences manufacturing targeting a 79-county region, with the potential of benefitting all North Carolina counties.
Funding will be used for the following projects:
- Workforce Diversification—Led by North Carolina Central University’s Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE), this project will establish six training hubs at North Carolina’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities1 and at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, the state’s sole Historically American Indian University. The training hubs will deliver hands-on short courses on manufacturing biopharmaceuticals to an inclusive and diverse population.
- Expand Training Access and Faculty Recruitment—Led by the North Carolina Community College System, the NC BioBetter project2 will bolster the number of trained life sciences manufacturing workers by enrolling citizens from across the state in BioWork and other life sciences training programs expanded through this funding. Ten community colleges and the North Carolina Community College System BioNetwork will develop and deliver training. Recruitment will focus on historically excluded, rural and distressed populations. Additionally, this project will expand the faculty delivering BioWork and related training programs by recruiting and training credentialed personnel through an innovative immersion program.
- Community Engagement—Led by NCBiotech, this project will launch ambassador and apprenticeship programs to increase awareness of, and access to, life sciences manufacturing training and job opportunities. The project will also connect high school seniors in Pitt County and participants in Made in Durham’s BULLS program with free life sciences manufacturing training. NCBiotech will forge connections among coalition members, community leaders, training partners and industry, removing barriers to training and job opportunities for underserved individuals in both urban and rural communities.